Business Briefs 2/6/2014

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration says it's creating seven regional hubs to help coordinate and distribute information about dealing with the effects of climate change.

Based at existing Agriculture Department facilities, the hubs aim to help farmers and rural communities fight climate change and adapt to weather changes. The hubs will assess local climate risks, such as drought and wildfire, then develop plans for dealing with them, such as improved irrigation techniques.

The White House said the hubs would be in Oregon, Iowa, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Aston Martin recalls 17K cars

LONDON - British luxury carmaker Aston Martin says it is recalling 17,590 sports cars because of a problem with the accelerator pedal molding. The company said Wednesday there had not been any accidents or injuries stemming from the fault, which can cause the engine to idle unexpectedly. The global recall will affect all of the company's left-hand drive cars made between late 2007 and the end of 2013. Right-hand drive cars made between May 2012 and December 2013 also will be recalled.

Anheuser Busch to buy Blue Point

NEW YORK - Anheuser Busch InBev's U.S. arm is buying craft brewer Blue Point Brewing Co. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Blue Point makes more than 40 craft beers, including Toasted Lager, Hoptical Illusion, Blueberry Ale and seasonal brands, among others. Founded in 1998, it's the 34th largest craft brewery in the U.S. Anheuser-Busch said it plans to invest in Blue Point to help grow its operational capabilities over the next few years. Blue Point will continue to be based in Patchogue, N.Y.

Google agrees on EU antitrust case

BRUSSELS - The European Union's antitrust watchdog on Wednesday accepted new and "far-reaching" concessions offered by Google to settle allegations it is abusing its dominant position in Internet searches, bringing the 3-year-old case close to an end.

Google would significantly change the ways it displays some search results in Europe in favor of its competitors. But reaching a settlement will spare the company a longer antitrust procedure that could have resulted in fines of up to 10 percent of the company's annual revenue, or about $5 billion.

Panama Canal work halted

PANAMA CITY - Work on the ambitious Panama Canal expansion project was halted Wednesday after talks broke down on how to settle a dispute over $1.6 billion in cost overruns.

Panama Canal Authority Administrator Jorge Quijano told a news conference the stoppage will give authorities time to analyze how to proceed on the project to widen the canal.

The Panama Canal Authority and the Spanish-led construction consortium leading the expansion blame each other for the overruns. They were negotiating how to pay for the unplanned extra costs when talks broke down, Mr. Quijano said.

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